From the instant that they are born unwanted, their lives take the wrong turn and they find themselves, innocent, in a life sentence.

8/23/2013

Dogs versus cars

Despite the general belief that
stray dogs are men eating monsters, they are made of flesh and bones. Their
bones weren’t designed to resist against cars or big rocks thrown at them with
the specific purpose of breaking something. Their very condition of stray dogs
makes them a target for cars and, most of all, for dedicated drivers who take
it upon themselves to clean the streets; in their desperate search for food,
they are clueless against the metal monster which makes thousands of victims
every year.

Recently
I heard on the news that in Braila (a town in South-Eastern Romania) young men
run over dogs in the middle of the night, for fun. They seem to be very pleased
with themselves, because they are making videos while doing it. This is
Romania’s youth, we must be very proud! Education is one of our most urgent
needs, because most children grow up hating and abusing stray animals,
encouraged by their parents own fears and lack of understanding.

A
very popular method of extermination is abandoning dogs on the side of busy
national roads. For someone who doesn’t know their way around Romania, seeing
so many dogs run over by cars is shocking. Their chance of crossing such a road
is null and their death is certain. We call them “carne de mici” (traditional
Romanian food made from chopped pork and beef) which can be translated using a
“Grey’s Anatomy” joke: “ceviche” (a South American dish used to describe a very
injured patient). We hate seeing them all over our national roads, but they are
there wishing us to “enjoy your travel!” whether we like it or not; it’s part
of the scenery.

But
some dogs have it in for these merciless creatures and spend their lives
chasing them and trying to make them pay for their brother’s deaths. It seems
their favorite activity is to run and bark at the moving wheels, sometimes
dangerously close to their own end. Some more determined than others, can’t
stop this noble fight even when the car is parked.

I am one of the lucky people
who never witnessed a dog being run over on the road. But many of my friends
have and the feeling must be awful. Newly abandoned dogs are so confused,
scared and disoriented, they make great accident victims. I remember one dog that
used to walk right through the middle of the street, following the white line
that separates the two traffic lanes, because she was so scared of what was
going on the side walk: people kicking her, dogs attacking her. I tried to
catch her, but I was afraid I would push her in front of the cars, so I gave up.
I woke up one day to find her sitting patiently outside my building, as if she
was finally ready to be rescued. She had one hind leg injured, probably hit by
a car. Jada is now adopted and safe.

The
only reason there aren’t more car accidents victims among stray dogs is that
Romanians are a poor people who can’t afford to fix their cars if damaged by a
bigger dog. Many poor drivers spend their lives inconsolable, wishing they use
their cars for a bigger purpose, a noble one in their sick minds: cleaning the
streets, just so irresponsible owners who don’t spay or neuter their own dogs
can fill them right back. Of course, there are always so many other cruel
methods that can satisfy their need of blood; understanding the real cause of
this problem is not on their list for this lifetime…maybe the next one.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Who am I?

I am the leader of a small NGO for dogs in Romania and I have joined RAR's noble fight, because I believe only SPAY or NEUTER can solve Romania's stray dogs' issue. I have seen for myself the benefits both for the animals and for the communities. We can prevent more unwanted animals being born into a world that has no place for them. Neuter or spay! No more strays!